A successful national control programme for enzootic respiratory diseases in pigs in Switzerland

Before the start of systematic disease control, respiratory diseases in swine in Switzerland caused estimated losses of several million euros per year. In 1993, a national programme to control enzootic respiratory diseases in pigs was proposed, with the aim of reducing the incidence of clinical cases to less than 1%. Enzootic pneumonia (EP) caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and clinical cases of pleuropneumonia caused by any serotype of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) would be targeted, in addition to any cases with serological evidence of APP serotype 2. This control programme was initiated in 1996, region by region, and fully implemented by 2004. Clinical, epidemiological and laboratory test results were used to identify the appropriate disease control measures. Partial depopulation was used to control EP on breeding and breeding-finishing farms. Total depopulation was implemented on all farms affected with APP and finishing farms affected with EP Animal trade was strictly regulated during the programme and all suspected cases of respiratory disease in pigs were made notifiable. Continued monitoring is based on clinical suspicion of infection and/or the detection of gross pathological lesions at slaughter, followed by laboratory confirmation. In 2005, the incidence of clinical cases was less than 1%. Regulations have been introduced to control the international trade in live pigs and prevent the re-introduction of respiratory diseases into Switzerland.